1997 Citroen Saxo Reviews from UK and Ireland - Page 3 of 12

1997 Citroen Saxo vsx 1.4i

Summary:

Faults:

When I first got the car the power steering pump had broken and still hasn't been fixed.

At about 75000 miles the car started to cut out when at junctions and traffic lights. the head gasket and clutch also went at about the same time.

After replacing the above parts the car wouldn't move. I tracked the problem down and it turned out to be being caused by two broken wires on the sensor on the air intake manifold. After the wires were replaced he car ran smoothly and still does.

The sun roof leaks through the handle.

Alarm sounds for no reason.

Something has broken in the back suspension, but I can't be bothered fixing it because it makes the car look lowered.

General Comments:

Apart from the things that have gone wrong, this is a very nice car.

It's quick on take off and can keep up with the best of them.

She handles well even without the power steering.

The car seems to go through a lot of fuel, but that might just be my heavy right foot.

1997 Citroen Saxo VTS 1.6 16v

Summary:

Faults:

Needed two new front tyres as soon as I bought it (although I used these as a bargaining tool so that's not so bad).

Offside electric mirror doesn't work, nearside only goes up and down.

Engine coughs and splutters disconcertingly at tick-over.

If driven for more than half an hour or so the engine management light comes on. Have had this checked out by an excellent mechanic and he can't figure out why.

I do get the impression that it's only a matter of time before something very expensive goes wrong...

General Comments:

I bought this car as a stop-gap to get me to work for a few months until my insurance money came through (my previous pride and joy, a Mazda MX-3, was killed by a mad driver).

I foolishly thought I'd be buying a cheap, nippy, fun little car.

How wrong I was.

My girlfriend says I'm being a snob, but I swear to you the build quality on this vehicle is absolutely appalling.

Ignore the Max Power crowd - despite the on-paper figures this is no sports car. The components just can't keep up with the car's 130BHP.

The gearbox feels horrifically cheap and I get the feeling it could break at any minute. Rapid gear changes after tight bends make a nasty crunching sound as though the clutch hasn't disengaged.

The brakes are extremely vague even when the pads are replaced - not what you want from a car of this performance.

A quick thrash round some country lanes leaves the cabin smelling faintly of cooking; I have the suspicion this is the feeble clutch being deep-fried.

The suspension is virtually non-existent. Every tiny stone and dried blade of grass is translated into a spine grinding jolt. This appears to be Citroen's ham-fisted attempt at making a school-and-shopping car 'handle'. Which it doesn't, especially in the wet; this car enjoys skittering and sliding about with its wheels spinning in mid-air.

The footwell is so tiny I have to drive around sitting at a slight angle; the pedals are so close together I tread on my own feet.

The engine note is vile. Compared to the lovely smooth tone of my previous car this sounds like Brian Blessed yelling at you from the bottom of a well.

Despite claims of 7.4 second 0-60 times, and dubious accounts from young boys who claim to have done 199MPH in one of these, I can assure you that the numbers are purely academic. Over 90MPH this car feels positively terrifying; not only is the wind-noise deafening, the steering gets all floaty and the brakes would never save if you had to stop within less than about ten miles.

All your worst suspicions about this car are true; it really is as bad as you think it is, and even worse than the people on this site say it is.

I've put up with the torment for a month and my insurance money's come through.

With any luck I should be back in something japanese by the weekend, and this particularly mouldy slice of french cheese will be a distant memory...

23rd Feb 2005, 03:14

I can understand your negative comments about build quality and comfort, and even agree with your view that the Saxo is overrated as a whole (by the Max Power lot in particular), but poor handling?? The Citroen Saxo VTS and its similar twin, the Peugeot 106 GTi are rightly regarded as among the finest handling FWD cars you can buy. If yours isn't, then there's something wrong with it.

My view is that, in pure handling terms, a good example of one of these cars will run rings around any front drive Japanese car including the MX-3. The French might be clueless when it comes to screwing cars together, selecting decent quality materials, or making cars that are remotely durable or reliable, but their understanding of front wheel drive chassis dynamics and "feel" are first class, as they have proven on countless occasions.

Seems you just don't like the car plain and simple, which is fine, but it doesn't make for an informative review.